Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

1. SeymourB

   Aug 8, 2009

   10

   This is by far my favorite DS and Castlevania game. My only complaint would be the ridiculous amount of time it takes to level up; you are This is by far my favorite DS and Castlevania game. My only complaint would be the ridiculous amount of time it takes to level up; you are forced to grind an awful lot to make it past the tougher challenges. And those complaining about the difficulty of the game should just try harder. Truly challenging games are rarities these days, and you're only helping to exacerbate that by complaining to developers. Once I completed the story, beat both secret areas and leveled up to 99, I was able to beat EVERY boss without even getting hit. This game is my idea of a perfect platforming title and the best $30 ever spent.… Expand

   • 4 of 4 users found this helpful
2. SteveM.

   Oct 29, 2008

   10

   This game is excellent. Really, right up there with Symphony and Dawn of Sorrow. A word to the weak: the game is hard. Despite what you may This game is excellent. Really, right up there with Symphony and Dawn of Sorrow. A word to the weak: the game is hard. Despite what you may have heard, the bosses are not unfair, and it is not a grind-fest. You simply need patience and a memory worth 30 seconds to assess their patterns and take them down, which is rewarding, to defeat such difficult bosses. Really, game reviewers are wrong to fault a game for being difficult when it is not a product of bad design. I'm so sick of challenge being interpreted as archaic design. This game is a really polished gem.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
4. jasonc

   Apr 2, 2009

   10

   I brought this game recently, the actual gameplay is brilliant, not massively different from past castlevania games but then this would not I brought this game recently, the actual gameplay is brilliant, not massively different from past castlevania games but then this would not be castlevania if they changed the way it plays out too much. the game bosses are difficult...and i love it!!, a boss is called a boss because hes the big daddy at the end of the level, he's the one the other enemies look up to. this is what we loved about old school 2d scrollers, theres nothing more memorable that kick ass bosses. ok nobody likes being stumped by bosses, but there is always a way, a tactic to beat every boss, when you get it you are pleased and look forward to the next big boss!... aside from GTA:CW this is the next best DS game available, classic 2d scrolling with a few good new features and memorable kick arse bosses you wont forget in a hurry. you gotta love it.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
5. Milan

   Oct 11, 2010

   9

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is often overlooked because of its higher difficulty level. However, I would argue that this is actually one of the game's strong points. Unlike other metroidvanias such as SotN and PoR, OoE gives a challenge actually that stays consistent throughout the game, meaning that the player will never become bored with lack of combat immersion. Contrary to many other games with RPG elements, Castlevania doesn't force you to level grind in order to defeat the more difficult enemies and bosses. Instead, all you need is a little bit of patience and pattern recognition, and you'll be running through levels without taking any damage in no time. OoE also boasts a wonderful style of art, leaning toward the traditional, more Gothic and dark theme that the original Castlevanias employed over the anime style that was featured in Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin. The enemies look sharp and crisp and Shanoa herself is very well animated. The backdrops throughout the game are also detailed and varied whilst remaining mysterious-looking and Gothic, and the new levels outside of Dracula's castle also give more variety. No longer will you be confined to the same old castle - you can now fight in locales ranging from foggy forests to cloud-piercing mountains. This new gameplay feature of locations outside of the castle may be seen by some as linear but, in reality, OoE still features the same old metroidvania gameplay of going back to old levels with new abilities to find secrets and new items; it's just that you are no longer limited to one big castle when doing this. Speaking of which, there are several secret items and glyphs to go back and retrieve at later points in the game.
   
   The combat system in OoE is great. Shanoa uses magical weapons called Glyphs, which function just as standard weapons from previous Castlevanias, except with new features such as Unions and mixing magic-based Glyphs with physically-based Glyphs. The combat is fluid and Shanoa is very agile; the controls are prefect whether you are double-jumping, backdashing, or even dodging an enemy's ranged attacks in the air. There are also some minor online features - shop mode and race, but only shop mode will really catch your attention.
   
   The story in Order of Ecclesia is pretty good, but nothing groundbreaking, but the characters themselves slightly make up for this. The music in OoE is a bit of a disappointment compared to previous music-heavy Castlevanias such as PoR and SotN, with only 1 or 2 exceptional tracks, but the overall quality is still quite good.
   
   The re-playability of Order of Ecclesia is excellent. Whereas the normal story generally takes about 25 hours to complete, you will spend another 25 simply hunting for all of the secret items, weapons, and glyphs, playing around in Boss Rush and Sound modes, completing the Training Hall and Large Cavern, playing Albus and hard modes and subsequently reaching level 255, and maxing out all attributes familiars.
   
   All-in-all Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is an excellent game that shouldn't be ignored simply because it is harder than your average game (which, to be frank, isn't hard in the slightest). OoE is a great game for anyone looking for a side-scrolling platformer with RPG elements, and an excellent game for a Castlevania fan in particular.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
6. Plasmaneedle

   Mar 16, 2014

   9

   This alongside Dawn of Sorrow is the best Castlevania game since Symphony of The Night. Its challenging difficulty makes it extra rewardingThis alongside Dawn of Sorrow is the best Castlevania game since Symphony of The Night. Its challenging difficulty makes it extra rewarding and its hack n slash gameplay is the best on the DS. And of course there's the great Metroidvania formula that makes the series so popular. Definitely worth your time.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
7. Decemuladores

   Nov 20, 2011

   8

   Konami and Castlevania is like Square Enix and Final Fantasy and the new plot of this Castlevania is envelope as if it were the originalKonami and Castlevania is like Square Enix and Final Fantasy and the new plot of this Castlevania is envelope as if it were the original series. With almost the same formula of the previous but with new touches Order of Ecclsesia represent de best Castlevania in portable console this generation.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
8. Don

   Jan 19, 2009

   4

   This game is a series of failures. Legibility is poor, enemies are annoying and poorly balanced or stupefyingly easy. The game complicates This game is a series of failures. Legibility is poor, enemies are annoying and poorly balanced or stupefyingly easy. The game complicates acquiring new weapons with the painfully annoying contrivance of having to 'absorb' them. Additionally, they will disappear if you don't collecting them within a few seconds. Nevermind the fact that if there are other enemies around they are impossible to collect since the absorption process takes several seconds and being hit resets this timer often resulting in the loss of the weapon. Bosses are tiresome to confront and vastly more difficult than everything else you have confront up until that point. The over-world map navigation adds nothing whatsoever to the game and is just another tiresome step in this dreary experience. The one and only thing the games has going for itself is production value. It looks and sounds decent.… Expand

   • 0 of 3 users found this helpful

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